Sunday, May 30, 2010

Magic Moments!

There is a saying that your life isn't measured by the breaths you take but by the moments that take you breath away. Moments of magic remain cemented in your memory in techni-coloured detail forever and that reaffirm the joy and beauty of life. I had one of these each time my newborn son was placed in my arms and still remember their four very individual expressions. Craig's one of astonishment; Mark was angry and eyed me suspiciously, Paul gazed at me quietly and intensely and Sean looked at me knowingly - 'an old soul' the midwife said. The miracle of life took my breath away! Here are some of my magic moments.

As a child I remember distinctly that I almost fell off my chair in the library when I discovered that Liverpool was in the same county as St Helens (my hometown in Lancashire). Aged 7 or 8 yrs, I had thought it was so far away and I realised for the first time how huge the UK was and that led to the jaw dropping moment when I understood the immense scale of the world. It took my breath away!

Many years later stood at the other end of the globe - at Van Staadens River Mouth,I gazed in awe at the huge waves and as the current pulled me along the sand, I realised the power of the mighty sea. I had never witnessed how wild nature could be and at that moment I knew for sure that our almighty creator was omnipotent and it took my breath away!

In Uraguay (where I ventured on my own on a trip to Argentian), I was walking through Colonia to the ferry that would return me to Buenos Aries when I heard guitar music and singing - I stopped and recognised the song as Por Uno Cabeza (the tango from the movie 'Scent of a Woman. Do you remember it?

A short, old man wearing a black fedora and dark glasses - looking like the godfather himself, was performing with four long haired South American youths and I stood rooted to the spot and enjoyed a moment of magic. When I arrived at the ferry, which thankfully was delayed by strong winds or I would have missed it for sure, I was breathless but it was not the brisk walk that had taken my breath away - it was that old man, that music and that moment of magic!

A fiery orange sunset on the Zambezi River where I watched the sun literally fall into the horizon and everything turned orange, red, purple and inky blue - WOW! A moment of magic.

My first trip to Graaf Reinet and the Valley of Desolation is also a moment etched in my memory. I could feel the wind in my face but the world was silent as I stood at the edge and looked in awe over desolate the Karoo landscape. In that moment my soul acknowledged that these rocks, this red earth and this panorama had stood here unchanged for millions of years and that put my life and my journey through it into perspective. Another moment of magic!

A few years ago I nursed my small granddaughter to sleep and watched her snuggled in her blanket, breathing softly, long, long eyelashes, a rosebud pout and the warm powdery smell of milk. I remember thinking that if I were to die at that moment then I would die happy knowing the part that I had played in the creation of this precious life! Magic, pure magic!

There is a saying that your life isn't measured by the breaths you take but by the moments that take you breath away. If this is the true measure of life then I have lived long and well and I hope that I will continue to stop and recognise moments of magic - they are there waiting to be celebrated.

These are just a few of my moments of magic - I am sure that you are remembering yours right now!

1 comment:

I have a few things that i look in awe of ... Craig, Jessica, Paul and our beautiful earth. I thank God everyday for ALL that He has given me. As humans, we are TRULY blessed!!!!Lovely blog, yet again Sue!

What I can't live without.

My Family

My Camera

Living where I can smell the sea.

Flowers,Trees, Birds and Bees

Clinique

Adventure

A good book

The G Spot explained.

If you have come here looking for thrills, ecstasy,marital advice or a geography lesson on the female anatomy - you are going to be disappointed! A while ago whilst visiting an elderly relative on a cold day and putting my hat and scarf on to leave, I remarked that I had a little place on the back of my neck that was my thermostat. If that spot was warm then so was I - she said that she was exactly the same . We called it "The G spot" because my marital surname begins with G and her first name is Gladys - she is 90 years old and I do believe that she truly believes that's what its all about. I suppose at that age it is!